Mail-bag station-crane.



A. HUPP.

MAIL BAG STATION CRANE.

APPLIGATIOH FILED 001.31, 1910,

Patent ed Mar. 19, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

ALBERT HUPP, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI.

MAIL-BAG STATION-CRANE.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, ALBERT Home, a citi zen of the United States, residing at Kansas City, in the county of Jackson and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail-Bag Station- Cranes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to mail bag station cranes and has for its object the production of a device of this character which will properly support a mail bag in the path of a mail catching appliance carried by a train, can be set in operative position easily and quickly, and when relieved of a mail bag by a passing train, operates without material or injurious shock or jar.

A further object is to produce a device of this character embodying bag-holding j aws which swing in the same direction the train is moving as the catcher of the latter enjaws so that the transfer 0 from the said the bag from the crane to the car shall be effected without injury to the ba T With these ob ects in view and others as hereinafter appear, the invention consists in certain novel and peculiar features of congages and withdraws the bag struction and organization as hereinafter described and clalmed; and in order that it may be fully understood reference is to be had to theaccompanying drawings, in

which Flg'ure 1, 1s a pla-n View of a palr of statlon cranes embodying my inventlon, one of them being provided with a protecting cover. "Fig. 2, is a vertical section on the.

line II-II of Fig. 1. Fig. 3, is an enlarged vertical section on the line LIL-III of Fig. 1. Fig. 4,'is-a section on the lineIV-JV of Fig 2, but on a larger scale than Fig. 3.

' Fig. 5, is a detailperspective View of a catch "for holding the bag carrying.arms in operative position.

In the said drawings where like reference characters indicate corresponding parts in all the figures, liis a tubular standard provided with an enlarged footlpiece 2, whereby the standard-may be-reliably secured to across tie 3 of a trackway, not shown, the cross tie 3 being preferably an extended tie of the trackway so that the standard shall. bear a fixed relation to the trackwa Mounted upon the upper 4 ard is a circular hea stem 5 depending into the standard and se- Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed October 31, 1910. Serial No. 590,043.

- which such bag may be readily end of the Stan provided with a Patented Mar. 19, 1912.

cured therein by a cross pin 6, and said head is provided in its upper edge with a V- shaped notch 7 and with a pair of flanking V-shaped notches 8 of large size as compared with notch 7; the function of this notched head will hereinafter appear.

9 is a sleeve fitting loosely upon the standard and susceptible of rotatable and vertical movement and journaled upon the standard and also adapted for sliding movement thereon is a pair of brackets 10, provided with sockets 1]. receiving the opposite ends of the sleeve 9 and secured to the latter by set screw 12. The brackets 10 are horizontally bifurcated to provide arms 13, and the shoulders 14 have centering studs 15. The

upper arms 13 are provided at their upper sides with ribs 16, similar ribs. being provi ded at the under-sides of the lower arms 13, and extending through said arms and ribs are bolts 17 engaged at their threaded ends by retaining nuts, 18. The bolts 17 of the upper bracket are utilized to secure a verticalcatch 1 upon said bracket, said catch being provi ed with a rearwardly projecting tooth 20 overhanging the head 4 and adapted for engagement with the notch '7 or either of the notches 8. Pivoted onibolts 17 between arms 13 of the brackets 10 are bell cranks consisting of outwardly projecting arms 21, forwardly projecting tubular arms 22 and stifi'ening ribs 23, between said arms, the arms 21 having rearwardly projecting studs 24 around which fit the front ends of coiled springs 25, the rear ends of said springs fittim around studs 15, the interposition of said springs between shoulders 14 and arms 21, tending t6 hold arms 22 parallel with the cross tie 3 and projectingtoward the trackway. The said tubular arms 22 are provided with jaws 26 which are bent in opposite directions at their free ends at 27, to form flaringmouths between them into which a mail bag, not shown, may be easily and quickly slipped and out of withdrawn, and secured upon said jawstb, limit and cushion their approach, is a pair of'short sleeves 28 of rubber orequivalent material.

For the purpose of protecting a mail bag carried by the jaws 26 from in ury by rain 0r snow and to exclude both from head 4, 4

I provide the following, construction; 29 is an angle bracket secured to the catch 19, in

any suitable manner, and secured to the upper end of said bracket and overlying head erably provide a platform 32 adjacent to and at the opposite side of the crane from notch 7.

In practice there will usually be a plurality of cranes and in such event the platform will extend from the first to the last of the series of cranes and will be mounted up'on angle brackets 33.

The standards are braced by inclined: braces 34, which, like the standards, are preferably secured to extended cross tiesso that the outer ends of the braces shall bear a fixed relation to the trackway. It will be noticed that the movable bag carrying'frame constituted by sleeve 9, brackets 10, and the spring actuated jaws 26, is suspended from the head of the standard by means of the catch 19, and that when thetooth of the catch isin engagement with notch 7, the said jaws stand at right angles to and project toward the trackway for the purpose of holding the bag inthe path of the catcher of a mail car upon thetrackway. When the tooth of the catch is in engagement with either of the notches 8, the jaws extend laterally and rearwardly over the platform so that a mail bag canbe easily slipped between them, the resistance of the springs 25 being sufficient to clamp the bag firmly and reliably in place, and the sleeves 28 serving not only to prevent the jawsfrom coming together when the bag'is removed,

but as a gage tolimit the distance which the bag will be inserted between the jaws.

Assumin that the bag carrying frame is disposed with its jaws over the platform and that the mail bag hasbeen inserted between the jaws, the operator rotates the frame to swing the jaws and bag toward the front of the standard. In doing this he exerts'suliicient force to cause the tooth of the catch to ride upwardly and forward upon the head, the bag carrying frameinci'dentallyrising with the catch. When the frame attains a position almost at right angles to the platform'the tooth 20 of the catch rides down into notch 7,. in which position the weight of the frame and of the bag maintains the catch until the bag is removed by a passing catcher. As this'takes place the catcher appliesa lateral pressure on the bag-and hence swings the supporting frame thereof and causes the tooth of the catch to ride up out of the notch 7 the im frame by petus of the push applied to the the carrier through the instrumentality of the bag, causing the frame to make an eX- tended swinging movement, additional impetus being given to the first part of this movement by the gravitative movement of the tooth down into the notch 8. The swing may be sufficient to carry the tooth upthe rear wall of the notch and then down'into the other notch 8, but ordinarily the jaws, through the pressure applied in the with drawal of the bag therefrom, will eventually assume a position in vertical alincment with the first of the notches 8 encountered by the catch. By virtueof the travel of the tooth upon the inclined walls of the notches 8, there will be no sudden checking of the rotary movement of the frame when. relieved of the mail bag and hence the arrest of said frame will bewithout material. shock or jar and therefore without any possibility of injury to any part of the crane, and because the frame yields and permits the jaws to move with the catcher of the train, heavily loaded paper bags are slipped from between the jaws endwise of'the same without injury. From the above description it will be apparent that I have produced a mail bag station crane possessing the features of advantage enumerated, and. while I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiment of the same I wish it to be understood that I do not desire to be restricted to the exact details of constructionshown and described. as obvious modifications will suggest themselves to one skilled in the art.

1 claim L'A mail bag crane, comprising a standard, a frame. arranged to turn on said standard, embodying a pair of jaws for engagement with theupper part of a mail bag and a similar pair of jaws for engagement with the lower part of the mail bag, yielding means for closing said aws, a fixed part and a part movable with said frame and adapted to cooperate with said fixedpart in holding the frame with its said jaws projecting in a predetermined direction against accidental movement; said fixed and movable parts also having a relative vertical movement during the rotatable movement of the'frarne. Y

2. A. mail bag station crane, comprising a standard, a frame arranged to turn onsaid 1 standard embodying a pair of jaws for engagement with the upper part of a mail bag and a similar pair of jaws for engagement with the lower with the standard and provided with a shahlow .notch and a deep notch, and a da'tch rotatable with said frame, provided with a tooth for engagement with the shallow note to hold the. bag in operative position andfor engagement with the other notch when a bag is being secured betweenthcI-jaws. y

part of a mail bag, yieldingmeans for closing the jaws, a part rigid 55 standard, a sleeve arranged to turn and slide 3. A mail bag station crane, comprising a standard, a frame arranged to turn on said standard embodying a pair of jaws for engagement with the upper part of a mail bag and a similar pair of jaws for engagement with the lower part of a mail bag,

yielding means for closing the jaws, a head rigidly secured to the upper end of the standard and provided forward of its center with a shallow notch and atopposite sides of its center with V-shaped notches, and a catch rigidly secured'to the upper part of the said frame and provided with a toot-h overhanging said head and adapted for engagement with the shallow notch or' with either of said V-shaped notches.

4'. A mail bag station crane, comprising a standard, a frame arranged to turn on said standard embodying a pair of gagement withthe upper part of a mail bag and a similar pair of jaws for engagement with the lower part of a mail bag, yielding means for closing the jaws, a head rigidly secured to the upper end of the standard and provided forward of its center with a shallow notch and at opposite sides of its center with V-sha ed notches, a catch rigid secured to t e upper part of the said ralne and provided with a tooth over- BOhanging said head and ada .ted for engagement with the shallow note or with either of said V-shaped notches, a bracket secured to thecatch, a plate secured to the bracket and overlying said'head .and catch, and a cover carried by said bracket and overlying the free or outer ends ofsaid jaws when the same are closed. 5-. .A mail bag station crane,

comprising a standard, a sleeve arranged to turn and Slldfi thereon, a horizontall bifurcated bracket secured to'e'ach end 0 the sleeve, a pair of fbell'cranks' pivotd'in the bifurcation of sec bracket, sprin 5 hearing at their opposite endsagainst t e'brackets and the bell cranks to hold adjacent arms of the latter together, jaws secured to said last'named arms, apart rigid with the standard and ;;prov1ded forward of the center of the latter with-a notch and at opposite sides of the to center with deeper V-shaped-notches, and a I catch secured to'one of said brackets and provided with a tooth overlyin the said port and; engaging either of t e notches hereof. Y

6. A mail bag station crane, comprisin a thereon, a horizontally bifurcated bracket secured-t0 .each end of the sleeve, a pair of bell cranks pivoted in the bifurcation of each bracket, springs bearing at their opposite copies 0! m me: may be obtained for jaws for en-v .when the tooth of ment with either of ends against the brackets and the bell cranks to hold adjacent arms of the latter together, jaws secured to said last-named arms, a partrigid with the standard and provided forward of the center of the latter with a notch and at opposite sides of the center with deeper V-shaped notches, a catch secured to one of said brackets and provided with a tooth overlying the said part and engaging either of the notches thereof, cushions fitting on the said jaws, and a collar secured to the standard to limit downward movement of the rotatable and slidable sleeve and the parts carried thereby.

7. The combination with a standard, a head surmounting the standard and provided in its front side with a shallow notch and at opposite sides of its center with deep notches, a rotatable and slidable bag carrying frame mounted on the standard, einbodying spring closed jaws, a catchbearing a fixed relation to said frame and provided with a tooth overlyin said head and adapted to engage either 0% said notches, a collar mounted on the standard below the said frame, and an elevated platform at the opposite side of the standard from the said shallow notch to underlie the free end of said jaws when the tooth of the catch is in engagement with either of the said deep notches.

8. The combinationwith a standard, a head surmounting the standard and provided in its front side with a shallow notch and at opposite sides of its center with deep notches, a rotatable and slidable bag carrying frame mounted on the standard embodying spring closed jaws, a catch bearing a fixed relation to said frame and provided with a tooth overlying said head and adapted to engage eitherof said notches, a collar mounted on the standard below the said frame, an elevated platform at the opposite side of the standard from the shallow notch to underlie the free end. of said jaws the catch is in engagethe said deep notches, a bracket secured to the catch,-a plate carried by the bracket and overlying said notched head, and a cover secured to the opposite end overlying the outer or of the bracket and free ends of the jaws when the same are closed.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature, 1n the presence of two witnesses.

ALBERT HUPP. Witnesses:

HELEN C. Romans, G. Y. THORPE.

five seats enolhhyaddreaslng the Commissioner of Patents, a I aehma'tan, I 0." I 

